According to The Daily Record, Celtic are set to face stiff competition in the race to sign Hearts youngster Aaron Hickey this summer.
What’s the word?
The 17-year-old had been a key part of the Hearts side before the season was cancelled, making 30 appearances across all competitions, and scoring once.
Now, The Daily Record claim that the Scottish side “will look to move on their top talent after relegation to raise some much needed funds”, with Celtic in the running to sign him.
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However, Neil Lennon’s team won’t have a free run at him, with the likes of Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester City, amongst the European big-hitters who also hold a “serious interest” in the talented teenager.
Can’t miss out
He may not have turned out for the first-team at Celtic Park, but Hickey was on the books at Parkhead as a youngster, before making the switch to Hearts.
Now, having seen the full-back showcase his potential somewhere else, Peter Lawwell and co cannot afford to regret watching him shine for another club.
Speaking after a clash against Livingston, Hearts captain Christophe Berra insisted Hickey has got an “unbelievable future” ahead of him if he continues to keep working hard, whilst Austin MacPhee revealed that he believed the teenager’s versatility could see him even end up being like a Sergio Busquets.
High praise indeed. Whilst Celtic already have the likes of Boli Bolingoli and Greg Taylor, the pain of losing a hometown hero in Kieran Tierney last summer must still sting. But more than his close connection with the club, the now Arsenal man was very much a superb footballer with bags of ability – the very fact he earned a move to the Emirates is evidence of that.
Hickey could arrive at Celtic Park and quite conceivably nail down a spot as the club’s starting left-back, and with him being just 17, could go on to dominate that position for a number of years. He would simultaneously erase any painful lingering memories of Tierney, and also offer a real hope for the future too.
